Fatally Optimistic
by demosthenes24
Summary: When Bella taps the back of a Volvo outside a library in Forks, what will happen? AU/AH OOC M for language.
1. Intro: Fatal Optimism

AN: Hello! This is my first fanfic :) Hope you enjoy. All characters belong to SM.

Intro: Fatal Optimism

Bella POV

Sometimes I feel as though I am fatally optimistic. I know it's a strange phrase, but hear me out. It's where you are so sure of something working out, so positively positive, that you don't even bother to question or reflect upon the results or outcome. This, I am sure, is my tragic flaw. Okay, tragic flaw may be a bit overdramatic. I'm not a hero like Odysseus or Achilles whose downfall is due to misplaced pride, but rather just a normal girl with a plethora of mishaps due to my "fatal optimism".

When I was five I lost a kite in the trees above my house. Its long blue streamers waved at me in the wind, teasing me from far above, lost in branches and bright green summer leaves. I was determined to get it back, and I knew I could. So, with my large, mustached dad watching me from below, I climbed up the tree higher and higher until I looked up and saw a branch, which might have been just a little too far. I actively ignored my dad's calls to come down and felt the magical fatal optimism kicking in. I decided I could jump to the next branch. And that's what I did. However, my fatal optimism ignored my natural clumsiness and I tumbled down and hit the ground hard. That was my first bone break; I broke my arm and was covered in scratches from head to toe.

When I was eight, my parents got a divorce. I stayed with my dad in our rainy town of Forks, Washington watching the window and waiting for mom to come home. I was so sure that one day I would come home to see my mom and dad waiting for me when I got home from school like they usually did, sitting on the dreamy old porch swing covered in moss, his mustache tickling her ear with whispered promises. I would jump into his lap and we'd sit together, stronger as a family for this small bump in the road. But everyday I'd come home to a lonely porch swing looking more shabby and rickety than dreamy and mythical. And one day I biked home from school feeling an eight-year-old's intuition (now recognized as fatal optimism) that today was the day mom was coming home. But what I saw broke my heart.

Dad, who was waiting outside with purple half-moons under his eyes and more pronounced wrinkles on his face, was pointing at the porch swing, which had been removed from the porch and was being taken to an old pickup truck, never to return again. Tears welled up in my big brown eyes and made their way slowly down my face, dripping onto the long green grass in our lawn. I ran into dad's arms and he explained that the swing was too unstable and unsafe for anyone to sit on. What he didn't realize that he also told me was that mom was never coming back. I waved goodbye to the porch swing realizing I was also waving a final goodbye to frantic window watching and the endless waiting for my missing mom.

When I was twelve, I made a new friend. He had shoulder length black hair and a sparkly, mischievous smile. His name was Jake, short for Jacob. He called me Bell, short for Bella, short for Isabella. We played together after school while our dads, friends from college, watched sports and talked. Jake lived on a reservation so we didn't go to school together, but we did everything else together. Jake loved tinkering with any type of machine so we would hang out while he took apart and put together my radio and later when we were sixteen, fixed my beat up pickup truck. With Jake I felt happy. His personality was like sunshine, and the rays warmed my life. It seemed like we were always laughing and he knew absolutely everything about me.

When I was seventeen, Jake and I decided to date. I knew Jake felt something more, but I still felt the sunshine and happiness of friendship. I used my fatal optimism to convince myself that eventually I would fall for him, that's what made sense and that's what would happen. However, I was wrong and after prom Jake kissed me. And he knew from the kiss that it was passion for him, but still just sunshine for me. Jake said he had to take a break, take some time; he was fighting tears and ran to his car and sped off without another word. A whispered word remained on my lips as I stood in my driveway, sparkly blue dress and gorgeous corsage forgotten, as I also battled a flood of tears. The word was a questioning friends, and that, I quickly realized, we were not.

I spent senior year lonely and sad, haunted by the loss of my best friend. Dad noticed my downward spiral and kept me going. I had a small friend group in school, but no one was as close as Jake and I. One day Angela from school gave me a ride home and on the driveway I saw a short head of black hair peaking out from under my truck, changing the flat tire that happened two days earlier. A body followed the head out from under the car and I recognized a very different looking Jake, one with cropped hair and muscles. But it was what remained that made me smile. It was déjà vu as I saw the sparkling, mischievous smile and felt the warmth of sunshine in the middle of winter. I ran into Jake's strong arms and felt his warmth envelop me as he murmured variations of "I'm so sorry, Bell" over and over. But what he didn't know was that I had already more than forgiven him. I was just glad that this time, someone actually came back.

When I was twenty-one, I was in the University of Washington. I was dating a guy named Mike, who Jake and his long time girlfriend, (and one of my best friends) Leah, had already deemed an asshole. I thought he was nice though, and my fatal optimism gave me magical glasses to see through which blurred Mike's arrogance and irritating behavior and focused on his rare moments of sentimentality and kindness. However, even with my magic glasses on I was able to see Mike making out with my roommate, and quickly got rid of both Mike and the roommate. I majored in English, and moved back home to spend time with my dad.

Just yesterday, I turned twenty-three. Today I was driving to work at the library and was surprised to see the parking lot so full. I decided to take the spot between a sleek black Volvo and a beat up family minivan. I maneuvered my newly painted truck (Jake's birthday present) into the parking spot and felt the fatal optimism kicking in. I could just squeeze by without reversing, I knew I could. It was a rude shock when I heard the crunch and felt a scrape as my truck tapped the rear bumper of the Volvo. Chastising myself already, I went to look at the damage. A couple of paint scratches and a small dent tainted the otherwise perfect Volvo. Sighing at the larger dent on my car which ruined Jake's paint job, I got a pad of sticky notes out of my purse and began to write a note.

 _I'm so sorry. I hit your car on the rear bumper._

 _Please call 360-876-0834._

 _Thanks._

I stuck the note on the front of their windshield, never imagining what this bout of fatal optimism would lead to.

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Please let me know what you thought, I'd love to know! Updates will be weekly and EPOV next week :) Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter One: Collide

Hope you all like :) Everything belongs to SM.

Chapter One

EPOV

"Ed, man are you still there?" Jasper asked through the cell. I had zoned as Jasper droned on and on about his problems with his girlfriend Maria. Their on and off relationship had been the topic of our conversations recently and despite my blatant attempts to convince Jasper I was not a couples counselor, he insisted on regaling me with his issues (or rather Maria's issues).

"Man, I'm going to have to call you back," I said. I squinted at the brown haired girl through the library window who was standing too close to my beloved Volvo and... touching it?

"Edward, what's going on?" Jasper said in a cautious tone.

"Talk to you later, see you tomorrow " and with that I pressed end, ignoring Jasper's voice. The brown haired girl had turned around now and was walking toward the library. The bell rang as she opened the door and my breath caught. Long brown hair framed distant, soft brown eyes and a soft smile played on her lips as if she was lost in a world of her own.

"Alice, I'm here!" She called out softly. Out from the shelves, appearing from nowhere, bounced a spiky haired, pixie looking girl. I was stationed behind brown haired girl giving me a clear view of Pixie.

"Oh, Beeeeellllla!" Pixie said with a flair of drama. "I missed you so! Thank goodness you're back! How was your birthday? Did Jake paint your car?" Not taking a breath, but leaning sideways to see out the window, Pixie's eyes popped. "Bella! The paint job? What's that scratch?"

Brown haired girl, or should I say Bella, took advantage of Pixie's, or should I say Alice's, inhale to say, "I hit a car in the parking lot… you know that Volvo? I left a note but do you know whom it belongs to? And my birthday was great, thank you for the flowers you sent, you know you didn't have to." _Ahhh, so that's what she was doing touching my car._ My mind instantly traveled to the pain of using insurance and that entire process, but I was brought out of my reverie by Alice's sharp voice.

"Oh don't be silly. If I wasn't holding down the shop while you partied, I would've brought you some cake. Clumsy Bella strikes again, eh?" Alice said with a chuckle in reference to the car. "How'd you manage to do that?"

"You know, I'm still unsure. I'd say due to a rare case of overconfidence while driving." Bella stated, also laughing lightly. "But I left a note, and at least Jake will repair my car for free."

"That boy would do anything for you, you know." Both Bella and Alice laughed at that. "And how's Charlie?" Alice asked lowering her voice.

Bella's baby brown eyes instantly dimmed. "You know, same old same old. He's lonely."

"Bella, you know we've had this conversation before. I love having you here but, girly, you've gotta start living. Don't tell me you worked for four years on that hard earned degree to work here?" Alice said this in a wary tone that told me that before, this conversation had not gone well.

From behind the shelves at my creepy vantage point, I could see Bella's head fall downwards, her beautiful hair falling in strands around her shoulders. And in a despondent, teary voice that broke my heart she replied, "Alice. I need to be here for Charlie. You know that, he already lost mom-" she paused to take a shuddering breath, "he can't lose me too."

I couldn't see her face, but I had a feeling tears were falling softly down her face and had a sudden urge to wipe them away. "It's fine Bell, I'm sorry for bringing it up. Why don't you get cleaned up in the bathroom. I'll be here." Alice said in a soft voice, giving Bella a quick hug.

Abruptly Bella turned on her heel, and with head down began rushing for the restroom. I stood a couple feet behind her, stunned and unmoving, which engendered the second collision of the day. Bella came flying straight into my chest, and I could feel her wet eyes through the fabric of my thin shirt.

As if on their own accord, my hands flew up to grab her arms and slow her down. She breathed heavily, hands flat on my chest, head resting perfectly over my shoulder, tilted forward an inch so my shirt was catching her tears. My mind was devoid of thoughts; I soaked in the moment and how, to put it simply, right it felt. I took a deep breath as my face fell naturally in her soft, auburn hair and felt the scent of strawberries envelop me and arrest my senses. I wanted to hold her there forever, until all that was left was happiness in her mind, but she began to pull back. My arms moved up to rub her shoulders tenderly and her tired eyes stared at me with a mixture of shock and some unreadable expression before turning back downwards.

"Hey, now," I said quietly, lightly resting my hands protectively and cautiously around the sides of her face. "Are you okay?"

As soon as I said it, I began to berate myself. _Of course she wasn't okay, you idiot. Why would she be crying then_? But the question seemed to snap us out of the bubble we were in, and more tears started coming. Just as fast as before, she pulled out of my arms and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

I was so lost in thought, bewildered by the brown-eyed beauty that had just tumbled out of my arms, that I didn't notice the spiky haired cyclone spinning towards me. "You!" She hissed, jolting me from my thoughts, "Don't think I didn't see you eavesdropping before, buddy." Alice said pointing at me with an intimidating index finger.

"I-I-I'm sorry ma'am," I stuttered, using the title even though she was probably a couple years younger than me. "I was just looking around." My hands seemed to find their way upwards as if she was a cop and I was the arrestee.

"Well, then maybe you should actually look around." Alice responded, glaring "Didn't your mom ever teach you to mind your own business?"

With that she turned on her heel, leaving me wide-eyed and speechless. My mother, Esme, a very beautiful and kind woman who prides herself on her son's manners and kindness would have indeed been disappointed with me. My cheeks burned and I continued to run my hands over the shelf in an attempt to save my façade and meanwhile every few seconds I glanced around the shelf, checking surreptitiously, to see if Bella was coming out of the bathroom.

Eventually she did, eyes red-rimmed and a bit puffy. She walked quickly into one of the offices, not making eye contact with anything but the wooden, paneled floor. My eyes stayed on the door that I saw her small form disappear into. I didn't catch Bella's eye, but I sure caught Alice's blatant glare and soon felt the need to leave the library. I was torn, I didn't want to leave and desperately wanted to talk to Bella, but Alice's persistent harsh glances resolved the issue.

Frustrated, I turned toward the door not looking back. And then I remembered! I almost jumped for joy when I saw the scratch marks on my Volvo. Looking down at the bright yellow sticky note, I smiled.

 _I'm so sorry. I hit your car on the rear bumper._

 _Please call 360-876-0834._

 _Thanks._

How ironic. I already had her phone number! And call it I would, just for different reasons than Bella would suspect.

 _BPOV_

I breezed into the library, my birthday enthusiasm lingering, looking forward to catching up with Alice. Ali is the library's manager and one of my best friends. As I watched her short, springy form rush over to me, I was suddenly thrown back to the day we met.

 _I entered the library tentatively and heard the bell ring out loudly. Without warning, a girl appeared in front of me from one of the large shelves within a span of one second and excitedly yelled, "Hey you're Isabella right?"_

 _I was so surprised that I actually jumped backwards before answering nervously, "Uh, yeah. That's me. Um, you can just call me Bella though."_

 _She nodded her head and clapped her hands together; a childish gesture for a girl that looked about my age, but one that seemed to work on her nonetheless. Now that I looked at her more closely, I couldn't imagine anything not working on her. She had small but delicate features and a head of spiky, short black hair which looked absolutely gorgeous on her._

 _She interrupted my musings with a warm greeting, "Hi, I'm Alice! I know we're going to be great friends."_

 _And it seems that her prediction was in fact self-fulfilling. Alice's confident personality, combined with a bubbly, caring nature contrasted perfectly with my shy nature. She began coming over often, Charlie absolutely adored her, and she became the sister I never had and Charlie's second daughter._

 _She forced me to expand my boundaries and take new opportunities. With Jake off with Leah most of the time, Alice took away the loneliness that seemed to encompass my life in Forks._

I lightly smiled to myself at the memory. Alice stood in front of me and with a drawn out and dramatic "Beelllaaaa I missed you!" the interrogation started.

When Alice took a breath to let me get a word in edgewise, I explained about the car and we laughed about it. Then Alice brought up a recurring conversation we've had. To summarize the question; to stay in Forks? Or not to stay?

I knew it was coming when Alice asked how Charlie was. After the sunshine on my birthday, this cast a black cloud on my mood. Today, I just couldn't.

Then Alice went on to say, "Bella, you know we've had this conversation before. I love having you here but, girly, you've gotta start living. Don't tell me you worked for four years on that hard earned degree to work here?"

Although Alice had been my good friend for the last couple years, she missed my childhood. My mother Renee's hasty departure broke our family, and that is something I would never be able to forgive or forget. Alice hadn't seen the anticipation and tension with which Charlie and I carried on. Alice wasn't there at the awkward dinners where neither Charlie nor me acknowledged the elephant in the room. Alice didn't see Charlie comforting his eight-year-old daughter as she screamed in her nightmares for a mommy that wasn't coming home. And Alice didn't see said daughter scared and in her own personal hell as she listened to her hero, her daddy, sobbing and broken in the next room.

Even in college, I came home at every chance I got. Charlie had me, and I had Charlie, that's just the way it was. And that's the way it would stay, Forks or no Forks.

I'd never told Alice about exactly what happened with my mom, and her sixth sense prevented her from ever asking. She couldn't have known, she only wanted the best for me but the flashback of the memories brought with them a flood of tears. Quickly Alice said, "It's fine Bell, I'm sorry for bringing it up. Why don't you get cleaned up in the bathroom. I'll be here." With a quick hug, I took my departure and quickly spun around.

I had taken three steps when I suddenly collided with a person. I felt their arms come around mine to steady me, and resignedly my head fell on their shoulder, still sobbing. I began to push away, my hands pushing at the solid chest underneath, still staring at the progressively more interesting wooden floor. Instead of being pushed away by the stranger, his arms came up to caress my shoulders protectively. My eyes traveled upward and I was shocked.

Smoldering dark green eyes stared into mine, immobilizing me. With eyebrows drawn together, a tall man with copper colored hair that seemed to be a mix of curls and twists watched me curiously. _Adonis,_ I thought, but quickly dispelled the foolish notion. I then remembered why I was crying and the tears continued to flow.

His gaze softened, and I was stunned as his hands came slowly up to my face, grazing my cheeks more tenderly then anyone had ever held me. "Hey, now," he said gently "are you okay?" After the question his eyes turned irritated, but probably because I was a random stranger, destroying his library experience.

The bubble burst. _God Bella, what an idiot! You were just standing there staring!_

Unable to form coherent thoughts, let alone words, I decided to make a break for it. Hopefully I'd never see gorgeous green eyes again and he would eventually forget my idiocy. Although, I knew I wouldn't be able to forget green eyes anytime soon.

I ran to the bathroom, feeling green eye's stare on my back the entire way. I cleaned up my face once more and cleared my head of green eyes and my earlier encounter. Finally feeling a little bit better, I blew my nose one more time and exited the restroom keeping my eyes down until I reached my office.

The stale smell of old books surrounded me as I closed the door and grabbed a cup of herbal tea. The relief I felt from being in my second home was palpable. I eased myself into a beanbag and replayed the days events in my head. All I could say was, I'm glad green eyes was, and will forever be a stranger.

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Hmmm... Bella's wrong about that, isn't she? Thank you so much to Sunflower-Fran and Kickass Princess for reviewing and everyone who followed and favorited :) It means a lot and made my week! xo


	3. Chapter Two: 867-5309

Chapter Two: 867-5309

EPOV

I woke up to the sound of a knock on my apartment door. I stretched out slowly and heard the soft knock again. There was only one person it could be- drum roll please- my dear mother.

"Oh Edward, open the door. Don't you know it's rude to leave your mother waiting outside." Although the words were reprimanding the tone of her voice conveyed joking.

I slipped a shirt over my head and yelled back, "Ma, I'm on my way."

I had recently moved to the small town of Forks, Washington to see my parents more often. And my mother, who had severely missed her "baby boy", rushed over to my apartment at every opportunity. I was born and raised in Forks, and received a golden ticket out when I was accepted into Stanford University for medical school. I did my undergrad, grad, and residency in California (in pediatrics if you were interested), where, not at all to brag, I was lucky enough to be chief resident. My attending during residency was sure of my imminent success in the medical field, but I quit halfway through my last year. I still remembered the shocked looks I received as I stormed out of the hospital.

 _I walked to Dr. Keith's office, unconfidently with trepidation in my steps._

 _"Ah, Edward. What a pleasure to see you here!"_

 _"Hi Dr. Keith, I had something to discuss with you."_

 _"Son, you seem nervous. Is everything alright?" The moment would be imprinted in my mind forever. Dr. Keith, with his greying hair, was still more observant and alert than 90 percent of the doctors in the hospital. It had taken two years to gain his approval, and still another to gain his respect. He looked up at me with clairvoyant eyes, almost as if he had seen what would happen._

 _"Dr. Keith, I'm going to take a little break. I'm going home."_

 _"How much time off do you need son?"_

 _"Ah, you misunderstand me doctor, I'm quitting. Giving my two weeks. I'm done with the program."_

 _"Edward?" Now he stood up. "What's wrong son? Did something happen?"_

 _"No." And I looked at Dr. Keith closely, the man whom I worshipped and respected, the man who inspired me to subspecialize in pediatrics when I joined the residency program. "I just need to leave."_

 _And with that, I strode out of the hospital, leaving everything I had known for the last ten years of my life._

I was broken from my thoughts as the knocks came once again.

"Edward! Get here _this_ instant!"

I opened the door and saw my mom dressed elegantly in a rose-colored pantsuit smiling at me with love in her eyes. My eyes traveled to the right where dad stood next to her, also dressed up in a light blue polo, his blonde hair slicked back.

I looked down at my own ensemble, which consisted of a ratty Stanford shirt and sweatpants. Noticing the pot in my father's arms, which smelled suspiciously of chicken potpie, I opened the door fully. "Mom and dad, if I had known you were coming I would have dressed up. But I didn't receive a call or a text," I said playfully. We all knew this was not the first or last time that my parents would barge in unexpectedly.

"Edward, it's your own fault, son." My mother said flitting around the small apartment and cleaning up the room, "What were you doing sleeping at five in the afternoon! And your apartment is so dirty. I swear keeping this place is such a hassle, why don't you come live with us?"

"No way mom. Good try though."

"It always is, isn't it?" She said with a half smile.

"Ed, we saw your Volvo out on the driveway. Did you hit something?" Dad asked.

"No dad. I stopped by the library today, and someone bumped it."

"Did they leave a note?"

"Yeah, they did. I was planning on calling tomorrow. I actually met the girl who hit the car." As I remembered the note I felt excited once again at the prospect of seeing Bella.

"Really?" Dad asked. "Who was it?"

"I was hoping you could help me with that, actually. Her name is Bella, don't know the last name." I responded. In a small town like Forks, everyone knew everyone else and I wanted to see if Bella rang any bells.

"Oh!" My mom exclaimed, jumping into the conversation. "Bella Swan. Charlie Swan's daughter. She's a sweetheart. She's going through a tough time right now, isn't she Carlisle?"

"You're right honey. Charlie's not doing too well and she's sticking by his side. She moved back to Forks last year I think… to take care of her dad."

"What happened to Charlie?" I asked this in a neutral tone, trying not to betray my strong interest in what happened at the same time as trying not to come off sounding like a gossipy teenage girl.

"Well, Charlie was diagnosed with bladder cancer a couple of months ago. He had beaten it a couple of years ago and was in remission, but when he came in for his annual checkup, they found that it had metastasized as far as his lungs. No treatments are really working, and he's spirally downwards fast. Of course, I don't go anywhere near oncology, but I've seen Bella bring him in countless times. If she wasn't at home taking care of him, he would be in hospice right now for sure." Carlisle was also a doctor, but he specialized in ophthalmology.

"And what a transformation." Mom said sadly. "The poor man is wasting away right before his daughter's eyes. He used to be the always cheerful, slightly intimidating Chief Swan, and now it seems as though he's become a completely different person." Mom's eyes started watering, and she dabbed them lightly with her pocket hanky.

"Wow, it must be hard on Bella." I said mostly to myself.

Mom, however, responded. "That poor girl. She's drifting away with the Chief, you know. I saw her at the grocery store the other day and waved, and she barely returned the smile. She's a shell of the vibrant beauty she once was. You know, Edward, you missed her by a year. The year you graduated she started high school. She was always so happy and joyful. I was still volunteering at the school at that time. She was valedictorian, I think. She got accepted into Dartmouth, but eventually went to UW, isn't that right Carlisle?"

"Yes. Chief Swan was so proud of Bella; he would tell anyone at the hospital about his daughter if they would listen. She's what kept him going during those treatments. I remember the first time she visited the hospital. She was no longer that starry eyed child, but a woman who had been dealt rough cards."

Mom dabbed her eyes again. "Edward, don't give her trouble about the car."

"Of course not, mom." I was lost in thought; truly disturbed by the trials my brown-eyed beauty had been through.

Dinner passed quickly, and we all remained quiet and troubled by the talk about Chief Swan and Bella. My parents finally left at around ten. I opened a bottle of wine, looking for a solution to my anxiety about Bella. And that's when I decided. I had to call her, so why not call her now?

I opened the drawer that I had left the note in and sat down on the couch with the note in one hand and the phone in the other. My knee bounced frantically as the phone began to ring.

"Hello, who is this?"

I paused as I heard her beautiful voice. I could almost imagine her eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at the unknown phone number.

"Hello?"

"Um hi."

"Who is this, I'm sort of busy right now, but please, take your time."

Ah, Bella with a bite. Of course she would be cute when she's angry. Not to be arrogant, but I found her exasperated voice to be completely irresistible.

"Hi. I'm Edward. Edward Cullen."

"Okay, Edward Cullen, how can I help you?" She fired back sarcastically.

"I think you hit my Volvo this morning? And left a note?"

"Oh," she said resignedly (I missed her snarky voice), "yes that was me. I'm so sorry, I've just had a really rough day today."

"Listen, I completely understand." And I really did, more than she knew. "If this isn't a good time, why don't we meet for coffee tomorrow? Say, 11 o'clock?" And this, here, was the moment of truth, would Bella say yes?

"Well, if you're sure we can't just discuss details over the phone then okay. How about at the Coffee House?"

"It's a date then!" I fist pumped to the side of the phone.

"Um, excuse me, a date? Okay Mr. Cullen see you tomorrow I've got to rush."

Before I could get another word out, the phone slammed down. This day had been quite the success, I realized as I happy danced around the kitchen. Bella and I were going on a date. Now how would she react to seeing me?

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A/N: Please let me know if you liked it, sorry it's a day late! Your reviews make me smile :) Next chapter will be BPOV of the phone call and *squeaks like Alice* the not date date!


	4. Chapter Three: Matilda

I know I haven't updated in a while, but here you are! Will try to do regular, once a week Sunday updates from now on!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to SM.

 _Elle a besoin de toi,_

 _Cela vient de Matilda_

 _-Matilda, Alt-J_

BPOV

I stood in the bathroom this morning, dancing to Matilda by Alt-J as I brushed my teeth. The proverbial dark clouds, brought on by Alice yesterday had somewhat faded, bringing a light fog broken by rays of sunshine. I came home after work yesterday to take care of Charlie, and he could immediately tell something was wrong. The man is incredible; he faces so much pain every day but he never fails to read my emotions and comfort me. His crinkling hazel eyes and familiar brown mustache paint a perfect picture of kindness.

We had both decided we were in the mood for breakfast for dinner, a once a week Swan tradition, so I started the blueberry pancakes. I was pulling the blueberries out of the fridge, when my phone began to buzz obnoxiously. I reached over; I thought it might have been Alice checking up on me, but it was an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?" Silence filled the other end.

"Hello?" I asked again. I was just about to press end call when I heard a voice on the other end.

"Um hi." At this point I was getting a bit angry. I had a rough day today, and both Charlie and I were impatient for pancakes.

"Who is this, I'm sort of busy right now, but please, take your time." I responded sarcastically.

"Hi. I'm Edward. Edward Cullen." I polled my brain, but the name was unfamiliar. The voice though, I could place, I just wasn't sure where I had heard it before.

"Okay Edward Cullen, how can I help you?" I might have sounded a bit bitchy, but like I said, blame it on the pancakes.

"I think you hit my Volvo this morning? And left a note?" The snark left my voice and the tiredness crept in.

For some reason, the newly introduced Edward Cullen decided that we should meet to get this taken care of, and willingly I'd gone along.

So there I stood, still in my large t-shirt, getting ready for my "date" (as he so eloquently put it) with Edward Cullen. Something about his voice made me take the time to curl my hair and put on a flattering navy dress. Charlie was still sleeping, so I left a note on the counter letting him know where I was.

I climbed into the truck unsure of what to expect. This entire situation struck me as a little bit strange, but I felt like this "date" was somehow important, and felt the fatal optimism creeping slowly into my thoughts.

EPOV

I shot straight up in bed when my alarm went off at 10 in the morning. Today was my "date" with Bella, beautiful, strong, intelligent Bella. It took all my will power not to do a little happy dance as I got ready in the morning. I put my Alt-J record into the record player and daydreamed as the wistful tones of "Something Good" enveloped my room. Somehow, I knew Bella would end up being my something good.

At 10:45 I left the house promptly in my Volvo. I drove through Fork's empty weekend roads and pulled into the parking lot of the Coffee House. I saw Bella's truck in the space next to mine, the scratches on our cars perfectly synchronized and compatible as I hoped we would be. I ran my hands through my hair; this was it. I wasn't even going to try to anticipate Bella's reaction.

I entered the Coffee House and looked around. My eyes softened as they paused, stopping on Bella's small form nestled in the corner coffee table with a book. She was stunning; even more so than the night before, her brown hair splayed over her pale shoulders, encased by a navy dress that brought out her complexion. Her eyebrows wrinkled and she bit her full, pink bottom lip as she read. I knew I had to have her.

I noticed that she already had a cup of coffee sitting on the table, so I stood in line to get mine, not wanting to interrupt the faraway look in the beauty's eyes. I ordered a hot caramel macchiato and quietly approached her table. She was so lost in the literature that she didn't notice me approaching.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen." I introduced in a gentle voice, as I took the seat across from her.

Bella looked up, absolutely startled. I watched her expression change from curiosity to shock to embarrassment. Oh no, no, no. I interrupted before I could see anything else.

"I remember you from the bookstore. I hope you're feeling better today."

Bella looked at me openmouthed. She blushed, and an exquisite light rosy finish painted her cheeks.

"He-hello Edward. I'm Bella. Yes we did meet yesterday, and thank you I am feeling much better today." She offered me a shy but genuine smile. My thoughts ceased to a stop and my eyes focused in on her smile. _Good God, what she does to me with just a smile._

"Down to business then, I guess." She said jokingly, while looking at me peculiarly.

I tried to achieve a mask of coolness and to stop behaving like a complete idiot, which was actually quite hard when under the scrutiny of Bella Swan. She continued talking through the awkward pause.

"So I know your car scratched and I'd be happy to pay to get it fixed. However I'd prefer if we didn't go through insurance. I could pay to get it fixed at Jake's Automotives, it's a car shop less than five miles away. I mean if that's okay with you it will definitely work well for me-"

"It's perfect." I said, cutting off her adorable rambling.

"Great!" She exclaimed smiling a bit nervously. "So, Edward, I've never seen you around town, did you just move here?"

"Well, actually my parents are Carlisle and Esme Cullen. I graduated from Forks high and moved to California to attend medical school at Stanford. I'm taking a bit of a break now, which is nice, so I'm back in town."

Bella's face lit with recognition as she heard my parent's names. "Ah! Esme Cullen is your mom? Wow small world. It's so strange that I haven't met you before. She was part of the PTA in my senior year and helped organize student functions, she's such a kind woman. And wow Stanford. That sounds amazing."

"Yes, mom is great, and so was Stanford." I laughed lightly, wanting to hear more about her. "So, you'll have to tell me a little bit more about yourself."

"Well I just graduated from the University of Washington with a masters in English. I'm staying in town to spend time with my dad for the next couple of months," she faltered a bit, her eyes dropping to the table, but picked up quickly, "and as you saw yesterday, I'm working at the library for now. I absolutely love it though."

I was taken; her eyes sparkled as she spoke, despite the hardship she faced, exuding a light source of their own. She didn't appear to be uncomfortable, and she had a completely genuine countenance; no false emotion was splayed across her face. She began to shift and collect her things, closing her book (which I now saw was _Pride and Prejudice_ ) and placing it carefully in her backpack.

"Well it was so nice to meet you Edward, I'm so sorry it had to be in this way though," she said with her tinkling laugh.

Sad our time was already up, I plotted a way to ask her out or to see her again. "Yes definitely. We'll have to get together sometime." _Get together, what was I, 50?_

Berating myself, I ran my hands through my hair and stretched out. I noticed Bella glance at where my shirt rode up and smirked widely, because well, what can I say? Under all the sentimentality I'm a cocky bastard. Her cheeks colored again, and the moment couldn't have been more perfect.

I extended my hand and like the cheeky fucker I was, took a page out of _Pride and Prejudice_ and said "Until tomorrow then," raised her hand to my lips, giving her soft skin a light kiss.

She looked at me oddly, her cheeks bright red this time, whispered, "Bye, Edward." And high-tailed it out of the Coffee House.

I stood there in her dust, smiling at the window, hands in my pockets. And when I heard one of the baristas laughing, I flipped him off and continued on my merry way.

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Hope you enjoyed. Please leave reviews! Next time will be BPOV.


	5. Chapter Five: Family and Genus

Thank you so much for the reviews last week anonymous guest (:)) and Leibeezer, I swear they make my week. So here you are, and it's significantly longer this time! Hope you enjoy :)

As always, characters belong to SM!

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BPOV

I pulled into a spot near the coffee house, turning my steering wheel slowly as to avoid any more "mishaps". Taking a deep breath and straightening my dress, I hopped out of the truck, locked it, and walked into the coffee house. I looked around expectantly but my eyes met empty booths, not unusual for Forks, even on a weekend. Obviously, our town _really_ brought the party.

"Miss, you looking for someone?" The barista called.

I turned towards him, and recognized an old classmate. Ah, Tyler Crowley. Wishing I could cover my face and flee, I gathered my wits and walked over.

"Tyler, how great to see you." Okay, so maybe the great sounded a _bit_ forced, but Tyler responded enthusiastically anyways.

"Well if it isn't Bella Swan!" Tyler said, sounding like a regular Southern Belle, "You look great!" He then proceeded to check me out from head to toe, and nodding like the creeper he was said, "We should go out sometime. Jessica and Lauren work close by at the hospital and I'm sure they'd want to see you too!"

I was amused to notice Tyler had pretty much become a 3-inch taller version of what he was in high school. His height may have increased, but I was not at all surprised to find his maturity level remained the same.

"Yeah, that would be… uh great." This time the great came out sounding constipated, enough that even Tyler had enough intelligence to get the hint.

I dreaded the day when I saw Jessica and Lauren again, luckily we never seemed to run into eachother. Those two plus Tyler made up the most vapid, insipid group of preppy idiots in my day. I began to feel nauseous at the thought of conversing with Tyler for 15 minutes and quickly ordered an iced caramel macchiato to cool down.

"Small caramel macchiato," Tyler obnoxiously announced, even though it was just us and one other poor, poor barista in the café. I thanked Tyler, and looked over at the other barista, a gorgeous blonde who I had never seen before in Forks. She rolled her eyes at me, made a gun with her fingers and whispered "boom" as she pretended to shoot herself in the head while simultaneously glaring at Tyler's back.

I smiled widely at her, and nodded conspiratorially. Like I said before, poor barista.

With my coffee and a book, I imagined I looked like a regular café hipster, curled up in the corner seat. I opened _Pride and Prejudice_ to one of my favorite scenes, Darcy's declaration of love, and got lost in the sea of words and romance.

 _Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain and can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings only to see you. I have fought against judgement, my family's expectation, inferiority of your birth, my rank. I will put them aside and ask you to end my agony._

My heart swooned and stood still, pattering irregularly in my chest.

 _I love you. Most ardently. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand._

My heart ceased to exist, as I played a rain-soaked Matthew Macfayden and a polished Colin Firth in my head, looping infinitely.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen." I heard from neither Matthew, nor Colin, but someone equally as gorgeous.

I looked up startled, and immediately placed the voice and green eyes. Library man. God dammit, of course it was his car. I'm telling you, this only happens to me. After getting over my shock and initial reaction to his profile (even more of a spectacular view than last time), my cheeks began to color in embarrassment.

Realizing I probably wasn't going to say anything in this life, Edward was kind enough to interrupt my spiraling thoughts.

"I remember you from the bookstore. I hope you're feeling better today."

Collecting my thoughts, and reigning in my rampant embarrassment, I began to respond.

"He- hello Edward. I'm Bella. Yes we did meet yesterday, and thank you I am feeling much better today."

I gave Edward a small smile, in thanks for acknowledging the "library incident" so gracefully. His mouth spread in to a dazzling smirk, and he stared at me for a beat too long.

I closed my mouth quickly, hoping I didn't have something in my teeth, and continued.

"Down to business then I guess." No response from Edward, which I took as a yes.

"So I know your car is scratched and I'd be happy to pay to get it fixed. However I'd prefer if we didn't go through insurance. I could pay to get it fixed at Jake's Automotives, it's a car shop less than five miles away. I mean if that's okay with you it will definitely work well for me-"

Edward cut off my rambling with another smirk (his signature smirk?) and "It's perfect."

I was honestly curious as to what Edward was doing in Forks, and what he actually did as a career. My thoughts ranged anywhere from male model to Nobel Prize winning physicist, which is why I wasn't surprised when I heard him say, "Well, actually my parents are Carlisle and Esme Cullen. I graduated from Forks high and moved to California to attend medical school at Stanford. I'm taking a bit of a break now, which is nice, so I'm back in town."

We talked a little bit about the Cullen's, both parents whom I greatly respected. Esme is such a kind soul, and Carlisle gives the best smiles and hugs at the hospital. I remember Carlisle's help on the bad nights, the late night hospital visits.

 _It was the day after Charlie's first chemo appointment, and I was cooking dinner. I heard Charlie moving around in the living room, and then a noise. I ran to the living room, and held my hand over my mouth at the sight._

 _Charlie was throwing up repeatedly on the floor, bent over on his knees. My heart broke; I had never seen my daddy so absolutely helpless, he was my savior, my strength. Charlie motioned me away, and I quickly called Charlie's doctor who thankfully picked up and told me to bring Charlie back to the hospital for a check and some medication._

 _It was almost impossible to get Charlie into the car; he was very weak and was having trouble walking. Both of us were frustrated, and more than once I saw Charlie's eyes fill with tears as he gazed painfully out of the car window._

 _At the hospital Charlie's doctor met us, and told me to wait in the waiting room. The night began to catch up with me, and tears began rolling down my cheeks. I rested my head in my hands and began to sob. I had never felt so helpless._

 _I heard my name being whispered and looked up to see Carlisle holding a box of tissues for me._

 _"_ _Thank you Dr. Cullen."_

 _"_ _Oh, Bella, my sweet girl. Please, call me Carlisle. I am so, so sorry."_

 _His kind words set me off, and tears began leaking from my eyes again._

 _"_ _Wait here, Bella. I'll be back."_

 _Carlisle returned a few minutes later with two packs of m &m's. He handed one to me and lowered himself into the chair next to mine._

 _That night, he sat with me for two hours, and distracted me. When Charlie was rolled out on a wheelchair at 9 PM, he looked from Carlisle to me, and thanked Carlisle for "taking care of his girl." Both of us choked up, he gave me a hug and we returned home._

 _Since then, at hospital visits, either Carlisle or Esme was there to accompany me (with two bags of m &m's). It was so strange; we had talked about almost everything but they had never mentioned a son._

Broken out of my thoughts by said son asking about my lovely self, I responded quickly and then got up to leave. Thinking about Charlie two months ago made me think about the Charlie at home today, who was much worse for the wear. As I gathered my books looking into my backpack, tears pricked my eyes once more. However, I refused to cry in front of Edward again.

I looked up as Edward mentioned something about getting together but my mind was someplace else… until he lifted his arms. I saw chiseled abs peek out from under his shirt and stared openly. Embarrassing moment number three happened then, when Edward's eyes met my own and he smirked. _Caught, Bella! Eyes to yourself!_

I blushed and stared at the floor, until I saw a hand reaching for mine in my direct vision. Confused, I watched Edward grab my hand, and, as if it was an out of body experience, raise it gently to his lips, and whisper, "Until tomorrow, then."

Who the hell was this guy? Mr. Darcy? The only thing I was coherent enough to say was "Bye, Edward." And then, I rushed out of that shop like a cheetah on crack, not stopping, just jamming my key into the ignition and speeding off.

However, I couldn't resist a last look through my rearview mirror. And I could be mistaken, but I'm almost sure I saw Edward with a Cheshire grin on his face staring straight through the window, his middle finger pointed precisely in Tyler's direction.

Impossible, it had to be.

Whether or not this was a fantasy, I couldn't help matching with a Cheshire grin of my own, my day brightened at just the thought.

EPOV

Tonight was my first day on the job at Forks Community Hospital, working with my dad. Dad was well respected in Forks so I didn't have to start from scratch, but sadly as I walked into the office I saw my reputation preceded me.

Conversations came to a halt, and nurses and medical assistants looked at me expectantly. I saw Carlisle look up from his charts to see what had caused a hush to fall over the room.

Carlisle walked over to me, smiling and placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Everyone, this is my son, Edward. He'll be working in pediatrics, but regardless please give him a warm welcome."

Carlisle looked at me expectantly, and I uncomfortably cleared my throat.

"Hi, as Dr. Cullen _senior_ just mentioned," a light laughter could be heard throughout the room (thankfully), "I'm Edward. I specialize in pediatrics and I completed pre-med and med school at Stanford, and did my residency in California as well. I'm looking forward to working with all of you."

A light applause came from the room, and I felt the strange urge to bow. Carlisle grabbed my elbow and walked me to a quiet corner.

"Son, the pediatrics floor is the floor above. Your nurse will be Jessica Stanley and your medical assistant will be Lauren Mallory." He looked at me pitiably before continuing. "They can be unkind and inefficient, but we will be able to hire nurses within the next two weeks. Please come in and talk to me if you need anything."

"Thanks, dad."

"No problem, Edward. And son, you don't know how proud it makes me to have you work in the same hospital as me. I really appreciate that you've come home for a while- however long doesn't matter- but it means a lot."

We embraced, and I headed upstairs. Let's see what the day would bring.

~o0o~

God dammit. Breaking for lunch was the best thing that ever happened to me. It had only been three hours and I was already thinking of quitting, fucking Jessica fucking Stanley and fucking Lauren Mallory were making it impossible to keep my patience around my patients (no pun intended, seriously I'm not in the mood).

My day started pleasantly enough, with an introduction to two seemingly capable women, Jessica and Lauren. I went in to see my first patient, a little girl about five years old who had a fever. I quickly diagnosed it as strep throat, and sent her home with a prescription of antibiotics.

The moment I stepped outside to complete my charts, all hell broke loose.

 _Jessica Stanley stood in front of my desk, with the top button of her shirt open, slightly bent over, with a tube of cherry lip-gloss running over her lips._

 _"_ _Hey Edward!"_

 _"_ _Ah, hello Jessica." I muttered awkwardly, "Please call me Dr. Cullen at the office, I like to maintain professionalism during rounds." The professionalism hint didn't work, as she popped her chest a little more to show off her ample cleavage._

 _"_ _Okay Dr. Cullen," She whispered in a throaty voice, which I'm guessing was supposed to be considered seductive._

 _By this point I was getting more and more uncomfortable as she kept outlining her lips with lip-gloss. How much cherry lip-gloss could a woman really use?_

 _"_ _Jessica, I need to finish charts, would you mind moving over?"_

" _I don't mind, but why don't you work on me?" She whispered the innuendo in her throaty voice again, and by this point I was wondering whether or not_ _ **she**_ _had strep throat._

 _At the proposition I began to feel nauseous, and quickly shut her down. I could not take this, at work, again. With burning cheeks I responded, "Jessica, this kind of behavior will not be tolerated at the office. Please remove yourself from my desk, and get the next patient ready. I think we have a well check."_

 _The hint was received and Jessica straightened. Looking at me haughtily, and flipping her pin straight, bleach blonde hair, she screeched, "You'll be sorry you know, Edward. You think you're so much better than the rest of us, "Mr. Stanford", but I hate to break it to you, you're back in good old Forks now!"_

 _She stormed out, leaving the overwhelming stench of her perfume in my office._

 _I brought out the Febreeze I kept under my desk, sprayed it around the room, and sat back down with my head in my hands. It was going to be a long two weeks._

From there the day only got worse, and I had to fend off advances from Lauren as well. I wasn't able to concentrate and focus on my patients, instead replaying the office drama in my head over and over again.

I was only too relieved to sit down with my dad at lunchtime.

"So son," Carlisle began as we both opened our Esme-packed turkey sandwiches, "how's it been?"

I regaled him with my tales of Lauren and Jessica, and instead of horrified looks as I expected, I got laughter. No, not just little chuckles, but full out head thrown back, stomach-heaving laughter.

Carlisle wiped his eyes, and chuckled more when he saw my glare and matching scowl. "Oh son, those two girls are notorious for being the hospital whores. I'm so sorry you have to deal with both of them, but it's only two weeks."

I didn't get any comfort from this fact, and I was about to make this clear to my dearest father but his pager beeped.

"Oh son, I have to go I'm sorry. I ask Charlie Swan's doctor to tell me every time Bella comes in with Charlie so I can make sure she's okay during appointments. You know-"

He was cut off by a second beep. Looking down at his pager he read the message and looked up.

"Dammit, I have a patient right now. Edward, would you mind checking on Bella? Poor girl is going through so much, normally she only comes in at night time when I'm just finishing charts."

My heart soared and my horrible day turned not so horrible at the thought of seeing Bella again. "Sure dad. I'd be happy to go check on her."

We both quickly packed up and headed to opposite sides of the hospital.

"Make sure she's okay, son." Carlisle said as parting words.

"I'll take care of her dad." I whispered to his shadow. And that was the truth of it.

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So, what'd you think? Leave me some love! Next chapter will be B + E's second meeting!


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